Wessex Community Bank

Wessex Community Bank

At a glance

Causes

  • Financial inclusion
  • Local / community

Other details

Organisation type: 
Not for profit
Geographical remit: 
Local

Objectives

We are a not-for-profit Community Bank (credit union) with ethical status. Members own our bank with a one-member-one-vote system where surpluses are invested back into local communities. We don't have faceless investors or greedy shareholders waiting in the wings. All of the money we earn is used in pursuing the group's social objectives of fair, ethical and affordable finance for everyone

We don't pick and choose our members based on corporate strategic goals driven by customer worth. We believe that affordable finance should be available to everyone irrespective of socioeconomic status. We have a diverse membership from people suffering from financial exclusion to high-net-worth individuals because access to finance is equitable.

We offer financial products to ‘local’ people through a 'common bond'. Community banking is all in the name and our local bank exclusively serves people living in central southern England.

We distribute our surpluses into the local economy via our foundation and through lending to local people. Evidence shows that circa 86% of all loans we issue are used for purchases locally within our common bond. This supports local businesses and employment and keeps local money moving in a microeconomic way which supports our communities.

Our foundation supports local groups and organisations with a quarterly grant scheme. We offer easy access, fee-free accounts for those same groups and organisations which struggle to open a corporate bank account. We support a net zero agenda and invest in sustainable environmental alternatives, as well as committing to providing at least 25% of our assets to fund loans to those considered financially excluded

We are regulated by the Bank of England and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. 

Activities

Our products encourage thrift, financial management and education and have a 'Fairlife' mark. We offer alternatives to payday lenders for some of the most susceptible to this type of debt. We also offer tailored savings and loan products to local authorities, housing associations and employers to help promote well-being. This includes projects to help develop local strategic policy.

We attach integrated savings to all our personal loans to encourage ‘putting something aside’ while taking on debt. This is overwhelmingly popular with all our customers, some of who are saving for the first time.
We help people with Christmas Clubs to help prepare people for the expense of Christmas, budgeting accounts to help manage rent and bills and offer a guaranteed bank account for anyone struggling to open a high street bank account.

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